1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print system, a client-terminal device, and a print-control method, and is particularly suitable for a print system including a server device and the client-terminal device, where a printer driver is installed in each of the server device and the client-terminal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, the following method has been used when a user prints a document in an environment (a print system) including a terminal server and a client terminal. First, the client terminal connects with the terminal server on the basis of an operation performed by the user. Next, the terminal server starts an application installed therein, and opens document data. Then, the user selects printing from an application menu displayed on the client terminal. At that time, a printer driver installed in the terminal server is used, and the user makes print-attribute settings and/or issues a print instruction through the printer driver. Actual print-job data is generated by the printer driver installed in the terminal server and transmitted to a printer.
In the above-described print system, the manager of the print system often wishes to restrict a function executed when the user issues a print instruction to a predetermined function. For example, the manager often wishes to print data on the basis of print settings indicating “2 in 1 and duplex” at all times, so as to reduce the number of output sheets. For the above-described print system, the manager makes settings so that printing is performed on the basis of the print settings indicating “2 in 1 and duplex” at all times through the printer driver installed in the terminal server. Due to the above-described settings, the terminal server uses a printer driver on which print-function restriction is imposed irrespective of what client terminal connects with the terminal server. Therefore, once the print-function restriction is imposed on the terminal server, the print-function restriction can be imposed on the terminal of each user.
Incidentally, there is another print system including the terminal server and the client terminal, as shown below. In the above-described print system, an application and a printer driver that are used by the user are installed in the terminal server. A printer driver is also installed in the client terminal, and a printer is connected to the client terminal. If the client terminal connects with the terminal server and a print instruction is issued from the application of the terminal server in the above-described configuration, printing is performed in accordance with the flow described below.
First, the application of the terminal server transmits print-job data to the printer driver of the terminal server. Next, the printer driver of the terminal server transmits the transmitted print-job data to the client terminal. On the client-terminal side, a print-job-reception unit receives the print-job data. The print-job-reception unit transmits the print-job data to the printer driver of the client terminal. Subsequently, the printer driver of the client terminal converts the print-job data into drawing data that can be interpreted by the printer, as required, and transmits the print-job data (and/or drawing data) to the printer. The printer prints and outputs data by using the print-job data and/or the drawing data.
However, it is difficult for the print system taking the above-described new form to perform the print-function restriction, which is achieved in the formerly described print system that has been heretofore used. Namely, in the print system that has been heretofore used, when the print-function restriction is set through the printer driver installed in the terminal server, the print-function restriction can be performed for every client terminal. However, since the printer driver installed in the client terminal is used in the print system taking the new form, the user of each client terminal can change the settings on the printer driver without restraint.
Therefore, there has been a known technology used to perform the print-function restriction for the user of the client terminal provided in the print system taking the above-described new form, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-172093, for example. A server includes a restriction-information-storage unit configured to store data on the account of a user and restriction information after associating the account data with the restriction information, and a driver-storage unit configured to store the driver of each printer. The server receives the account data transmitted from the client terminal and reads the restriction information corresponding to the account data from the restriction-information-storage unit. Then, the server transmits the restriction information to the client terminal, installs a printer driver that can be used by the client terminal on the basis of the restriction information, and permits the use of the printer driver. According to the above-described technology, the server owns restriction information of each of the accounts of client terminals, where the restriction information indicates whether the printer can be used or not. Therefore, it has been difficult to restrict the functions of individual printers.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-165844 discloses the following technology. In a document-print system including a client terminal and a printer, the client terminal adds print-control information including information about restrictions imposed on document printing and instruction information used to print a predetermined image to document data, and transmits the document data. The printer prints the document data in accordance with restriction information and prints a predetermined image on the basis of the document data and the print-control information that are transmitted from the client terminal. According to the above-described technology, the restriction information indicates whether the printing is performed or not.
According to the above-described known technologies, however, for restricting the print function in the print system which takes the new form so that the printer driver is installed in each of the terminal server and the client terminal, the following problems arise. That is to say, settings of the print-function restriction should be made through the printer driver installed in each client terminal, so as to restrict the print function. Therefore, restricting the print function is achieved at much expense in time and effort of the manager of the print system. Further, restricting the print function through the printer driver of the client terminal may require the manager's authority, and setting the above-described authority is also achieved at much expense in time and effort. Further, changing the details on the settings of the print-function restriction may also require the same trouble as that taken at the time when the former settings of the print-function restriction are made, which increases the management cost.